Re-Use of Closed Auto Dealers

Over the next few months I expect a question will emerge in communities across the country as GM and Chrysler announce they'll cut a total of 2000 dealerships with Ford surely to follow suit in the near future.  What do we do with the land they once occupied?

This is a question my town, Gig Harbor Washington, has been wrestling with over the last couple years after the Ford and Chevrolet dealerships closed.  You don't realize just how much land these sites take up until you see them closed and the buildings demolished.  It's a question the Daily Green attempts to answer in this article outlining the opportunities and problems.

One critical issue is that the closures will almost certainly be concentrated in the suburbs and exurbs.  The sites were once attractive for the cheap land and access to eager consumers dependent on cars.  But as we've noted before, the days of sprawl are over and it's unlikely the manufacturers will let their more productive urban dealerships go.  Unfortunately, many small communities sought out car dealers hungry for the sales tax they provide and now, with already distressed budgets, could be looking at gaping holes in their economy.  So the trick will be resisting the easy fix and allowing or even encouraging more sprawling development.

As I noted, our community was faced with exactly this kind of decision.  The site lays empty and frankly, rather ugly.  We have a building size limit of 65,000 square feet and design requirements that force new development to create a sense of place.  It doesn't go far enough, in my opinion, to encourage mixed use/new urban development.  But it's a start and it prevents big box strip malls from moving in. 

A developer wished to put in a large box retailer on the site and requested the limit be increase to 165,000.  All the usual reasons were sited, jobs (the kind you don't want), the alluring narcotic of increased tax receipts, and finally the plea that nothing else will site there without a big box anchor.  Don't believe it!  Retailers are facing a crisis having overbuilt over the last couple decades.  Most are turning to more traditional pedestrian friendly development patterns that encourage people to walk to a number of shops and away from the ashpalt seas and concrete tilt-up buildings.  Our Council chose to pass on the proposal.

But that still doesn't answer the question of what to do with these now empty sites.  Daily Green gives us a start:

• A new town center - many suburban and exurban communities lack any real downtown having developed long after such things were passe.  More and more they're trying to reinvent one and here is a golden opportunity.  Usually these sites are large, and flat... key ingredients to a dense, pedestrian friendly, community with a sense of place.
• A business or community center - If there's still a lot of demand for real estate this is probably cost prohibitive.  But for a struggling community with little new growth pressure a non-profit could turn an eyesore into an asset.  It's always difficult to find enough ground for these types of facilities so here is an opportunity.
• Farmer's Markets - Could there be anything more beautiful than seeing the symbols of American car culture turn into a place to showcase local farmers and craft-makers?  Many communities have them but they're often poorly sited, or don't have enough space.  A permanent location and perhaps even some sort of structure with power and water, can turn it into a community event.  Years ago Seattle fought hard to preserve its public market, and now it's a world famous tourist attraction... proof that a little imagination can turn blight into something that makes your town unique.
• Open space - This is a radical proposal but makes sense for the sites that should have never had urban development on them in the first place.  In many cases these locations were filled wetlands and restoring them to their former natural state could save or even create a productive and healthy habitat.

So what would you want to see in your community if the local dealership closes?